來源：The Sydney Morning Herald
編譯：鹹攀
校對：範淑雯、徐孟平
時間：12月20日
從2020年開始，澳大利亞媒體行業處於一種溫和的危機狀態中。隨著科技巨頭的增長，傳統廣告模式受到衝擊，只有最具戰略眼光和運營良好的公司才有指望在1月底夏季大火硝煙開始散去時，可以迎來繁榮的一年。新冠肺炎肆虐奪走了該行業大量收入，迫使新聞編輯室和製片公司一夜之間改變運營方式。隨著國家經濟陷入衰退，每家媒體公司都對其成本和業務結構進行了重大調整。為了生存，收購和合併計劃很快被融資和重組所取代。讓我們回顧一下傳媒業幾十年來面臨的最艱難的一年。
第一，行業內的兼併、接管、重組和關閉。澳大利亞最大的兩家雜誌出版商——澳洲七西傳媒和鮑爾家族合併了。這筆交易恰逢疫情，因而導致大規模裁員和一些知名品牌倒閉。今年5月，新聞集團宣布將停止印刷112份社區和地區報刊，近1000工作崗位受到影響。有些報刊雜誌以在線閱讀的形式重歸民眾視野，但有些則將永久停辦。
第二，新冠肺炎的影響。多數媒體公司聲稱，疫情期間的大規模裁員並不是危機本身造成的，而是疫情的出現加速了幾年後的裁員。通過籌集資金、與銀行貸款人談判協議、減少員工工作時間或薪酬、改變行業運作等方式，媒體行業加快削減成本的步伐。疫情期間該行業首次實現遠程辦公，並取得了成功。
第三，高管和人才的流動。2020年很多公司出現人才與高管職位的變動，其中大多數與疫情無關。
第四，其他改變行業格局的因素。今年，主流媒體巨頭之間的戰鬥沒有讓人失望。媒體與科技巨頭谷歌和臉書之間的爭鬥達到頂峰。同時，美國廣播公司主席伊塔·巴特羅斯與聯邦政府之間的緊張關係在經歷了艱難的一年之後也達到頂峰。
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/survival-of-the-fittest-media-s-toughest-year-in-decades-20201218-p56oq4.htmlThe Australian media sector entered 2020 already in a mild state of crisis. With traditional advertising models already smashed by the growth of the digital giants, only the most strategic and well-run players were looking forward to a prosperous year when the smoke of the summer fires started clearing in late January. Then the COVID-19 pandemic ripped away huge swathes of revenue, forced overnight changes to the way newsrooms and production houses operated, and as the nation plunged into recession every media company made drastic changes to their cost bases and broader business structures. Plans for takeovers and mergers were quickly replaced by capital raisings and restructures for survival. We took a look back on the toughest year the media industry has faced in decades.
Firstly, the mergers, takeovers, restructures and closures. The country’s two biggest magazine publishers——Seven West Media and the Bauer family merged. The deal coincided with the pandemic, leading to mass job cuts and the closures of some well-known brands. In May News Corp announced it would stop printing 112 community and regional mastheads, which affected almost 1000 jobs. Some were revived in digital form, but some were permanently shut.
Secondly, the COVID-19 effect. Most media companies claimed mass redundancies that occurred during the pandemic were not the result of the crisis itself, but an acceleration of what was to come in several years』 time. The industry accelerated cost-cutting to improve liquidity through raising capital and negotiating new deals with bank lenders, reducing the amount of hours staff were working or their pay and changing the way the industry works. For the first time, the industry was operating remotely and successfully.
Thirdly, executive and talent changes. There were plenty of movers and shakers in 2020 and most were unrelated to the pandemic. For example, Ten boss Paul Anderson resigned in March after nearly 20 years with the network. Months later Nova Entertainment boss Cath O』Connor announced her resignation, etc.
Fourthly, other stories that changed the landscape. The battle of the streaming giants failed to disappoint during the year. The fight between media outlets and the tech giants Google and Facebook reached its peak. Tensions between the ABC chair Ita Buttrose and the federal government are also at their peak after a difficult year.